Run or Die Game Review – A 2D retro runner that will have you Jumping, Diving, and Dying

Run or Die – Punishing Retro Runner with Replay Value for Days

Team Flow games latest release Run or Die, for STEAM/PC is a fast paced retro runner that forces players to react quickly in order to navigate a dangerous futuristic city. Released for STEAM on December 11th 2014, Run or Die combines simple jump and dodge gameplay mechanics with tough as nails obstacles, that will frustrate you beyond belief but keep you coming back for more.

Game Features

Like many other games of the 2D runner genre, Run or Die has your standard run and jump platforming controls and sensibilities. The main things that make this game stand out from others, are the abilities granted to you by the ROD suit. This futuristic piece of hardware gives players the abilities to leap, dash, dive, use an EMP Blast or fire an ION cannon (sweet!). The levels are randomly generated with different obstacles for you to overcome and different abilities to use each time you run through a level. I found this to be pretty challenging at first, but once you get the hang of how the abilities work and where to use them, getting past certain areas takes on a whole new level of excitement (and stress) that is truly enjoyable. This is definitely a game with a learning curve, as the controls are simple but difficult to master. Each frustrating death leads to new learnings that allow you to make progress through the game.

In terms of environments, Run or Die has over 170 retro-inspired handcrafted maps that are beautifully designed. The sprite animations are top notch and add a unique pixel art style to Run or Die’s overall aesthetic. Created by Vidboy and Lifeformed, the music of Run or Die is awesome and reminiscent of super Nintendo era chip tunes that will keep your pulse racing. Run or Die features 4 different game modes which add a ton of replay value. Endless mode challenges players to run an endless obstacle course where after each death you must restart at the beginning of each level. This is awesome for fans of speed running. It would be pretty mind blowing to see someone tear through endless mode without dying once. “Daily runs” allow players from all over the world to run through the exact same city layout, with one chance to grab the high score for the day. Training mode is your basic walkthrough that gets you familiar with the controls and hurdles you will face in the other gameplay modes. Challenge mode gives players a chance to collect all the intel they can in the form of data disks before reaching the goal.

Overall

Run or Die is a super fun retro runner with stellar music, rewarding challenges, and a ton of replay value that will keep players coming back for more each and every time. You can pick up Run or Die on STEAM for $4.99, or during the summer sale for $2.99. Happy running!

What do you think of Run or Die? Let us know in the comments section below!

Ralph is an avid retro gamer and indie game aficionado from New York. NES titles like Contra, Metal Gear, Shatterhand, and Metroid were the first games he ever played and he's been hooked ever since. In his free time he plays guitar, steam games, and writes for RETRONUKE.com. His Twitter handle is @ralph_durso where he tweets about his favorite indie games.

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